EL Gauge Cluster - Honda Prelude Forum

munscher · 05-13-2003, 03:30 PM

Quick question.... in this pic I see the gauge cluster and the inverter box... the wiring harness is not present, correct? How long is this wiring harness and what all connects to it? Trying to make sure the wiring harness needed gets shipped with the rest of it so I don't have to hardwire it if possible.

SlowSi · 05-13-2003, 03:40 PM

OT: where did you find that guage cluster?

munscher · 05-13-2003, 03:41 PM

This isn't the one i'm getting, its a picture of one i saw on ebay not too long ago to use as a reference.

Red4WS · 05-13-2003, 04:18 PM

youll need the plastic clips that connect into the slots on top...if you dont have them then youll need to somehow push the wire on each pin...worth waiting for the wiring harness in my opinion.

jtcdudeman · 05-13-2003, 04:33 PM

How much would you pay for one?

munscher · 05-13-2003, 04:49 PM

does the harness connect only to this cluster or to the rest of the dash? and where does the other end run to? fuse panel?

genlude · 05-13-2003, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by munscher
does the harness connect only to this cluster or to the rest of the dash? and where does the other end run to? fuse panel?

The entire dashboard harness - which includes the two connectors to the fuse panel, the sunroof/dimmer/cruise control connectors, the guage connectors....blah...blah...blah - all the way to the passengers side connector. Also, make sure you get the brightness control beside the clock. The 92-93 will work but you will not be able to control the brightness with the brightness knob.

Red4WS · 05-13-2003, 05:25 PM

this is a good write up on how to wire it up

rewiring the electro guage swap
When i say harness im just talking about the plastic clip that has multiple slots and clips into the cluster with a couple of inches of wire attached....you will then take that couple inches of wire and wire it into your car using some of the wire from you old guage cluster...the link above will explain a lot

munscher · 05-13-2003, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by genlude

The entire dashboard harness - which includes the two connectors to the fuse panel, the sunroof/dimmer/cruise control connectors, the guage connectors....blah...blah...blah - all the way to the passengers side connector. Also, make sure you get the brightness control beside the clock. The 92-93 will work but you will not be able to control the brightness with the brightness knob.

Thanks for the info man, why won't the current brightness control work from my 93 Si? It'll continue to dim the fuel/temp i'm sure, are you saying it won't dim the speedo/tach cluster along with it? Just trying to clear this up.

jtcdudeman · 05-13-2003, 05:50 PM

Heres the deal with the dimmer adjustment.. It does and will work... The wite-up is just wrong... I talked to 4 ppl now who did the swap and are not savy enough to understand the dimmer has a + and a - and both have to be hooked up for it too work... As the writeup says there is a wire coming out thats red/ and yellow... It says to hook that wire up for the high beams... If you do this you make blow a fuse or have nothing happen bad at all.. If you connect the thick red wire with black dots which is the dimmer negative to this you will have it fully functioning... I wrote prelude-styl this but he seems ot think I am crazy I guess.. I dunno, but mine works good and I did email him like 12 times like a psychopath for no reason so I can understand why he thinks I am nuts... So, if everythign but the dimmer works go back and connect that... Msg me if you want the pin and label info as I will look it up but remember which one it was....

jtcdudeman · 05-13-2003, 05:57 PM

Ok... I am going ot go ahead and post the pin out the wya I believe it should read...I will note my change...
Wiring:
Harness H
Pin:

1. Yellow -- power
2. Pink -- speedometer
3. Splice the red/green wire from under the hood near the fuse box and run to pin -- power
4. Red/Black -- dimmer wire
5. Black -- ground
6. Orange
7. No wire
8. Light green (you need to splice the wire from the dash clock harness & run it to the pin) -- trip mileage memory
9. No wire
10. No wire

Harness J

1. No wire
2. No wire
3. No wire
4. Green/yellow -- right blinker
5. Red/blue -- high beam

*note for harness J: There is no clip you can use so you have to slip the wire over the pin, meaning slide the pin inside the sleeve of the wire.

Harness M

1. Blue/silver spots -- tachometer
2. Black -- ground
3. Red/yellow -- high beam (this one needs to be hooked up to the red wire with black dots for functioning dimmer)
4. Green/blue -- left blinker
5. Blue -- SRS

The odd part is this is for the manual tranny... The bottom clip is not used on the EL gauges, but it is used on the other ones... You have ot cut all of the clips.... Many of the wires for the harness J and M come from the lower pin output...

I also advise just cutting the wires as it takes a little work and time, but alot less unpluggin and taking apart... It also saves a good $100.... Its about an hour install, maybe 2 if you have problems or are not too motivated(i.e. not proper tools like wire splicer and wire)

preylude22 · 05-13-2003, 06:05 PM

this is a stupid question but, j/w to know if a 96 guage cluster from a usdm lude made in japan will fit/plug right into my 96 usdm made here in the states??? thnx

ohh and if anyone is lookin for a 94=96 guage cluster the junkyard i bought mine from has another one for 100 bux wit 82k on it i think!!!!!!! i dunno...well holla back and lemme know thnx

wutangben · 05-13-2003, 10:25 PM

i want one if it isn't from japan.

please let me buy it!

let me know if it's for an auto or manual, VTEC or non.

as for your question about a jdm EL gauge cluster fitting, i think it physically won't fit like the usdm one because since it is from a RHD car, something to do with the plastic piece not fitting a corner or something. i wish i knew exactly but obviously i've never done the swap before.

thanks

genlude · 05-13-2003, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by munscher

Thanks for the info man, why won't the current brightness control work from my 93 Si? It'll continue to dim the fuel/temp i'm sure, are you saying it won't dim the speedo/tach cluster along with it? Just trying to clear this up.

This is the piece is am talking about

Thanks to Andy for the pic.

You can do it jtcdudeman's way which involves splicing or you can do it my way - if you have the dashboard wiring harness-, then there is no splicing involved just plug and play, but just make sure you get the brightness control circuit - lack of a better term, that black thingy in the pic-.

Why....do you need it.....slight modifications was done to the 94 -96 prelude EL clusters which allowed the brightness of the clock and the rest of the gauge cluster to be dimmed with the knob beside the sunroof/cruise switch. Sorry to say the 92-93 and 94 S prelude did not have this option.

jtcdudeman · 05-13-2003, 11:29 PM

I dont mean to be offensive or say your wrong or aything, but I am lost... Your just saying you need a new dimmer box for the swap too? Or, are you saying you cant dim the 94s,92-93 s/si/vtec? I know I blew my dimmer control unit up as I was dumb messing with my sunroof stuff that the last owner messed up and stripped the wires too.... Anyways, I replaced that and it wasnt a $3 part either! But my unit did dim everythign before that as long as my lights were on and nothing has changed... Lights on, full dimming control!

Hell, if it were up to me, I think you should just cut that wire no matter what... I think its easier to do all that splicing honestly.... How did you run the wires through the section you ran the old harness through, tape and attach em and pull the old one out while placing the new one in at the same time? It just seems like alot more work and money when you cna just spend $3 on wire and $4 on connectors and be done with the whole thing in about an hour.. But, I also like to save money for better and more diffcult things! Just give me a clarification on what your talking about!

genlude · 05-13-2003, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jtcdudeman
I dont mean to be offensive or say your wrong or aything, but I am lost... Your just saying you need a new dimmer box for the swap too? Or, are you saying you cant dim the 94s,92-93 s/si/vtec? I know I blew my dimmer control unit up as I was dumb messing with my sunroof stuff that the last owner messed up and stripped the wires too.... Anyways, I replaced that and it wasnt a $3 part either! But my unit did dim everythign before that as long as my lights were on and nothing has changed... Lights on, full dimming control!

Hell, if it were up to me, I think you should just cut that wire no matter what... I think its easier to do all that splicing honestly.... How did you run the wires through the section you ran the old harness through, tape and attach em and pull the old one out while placing the new one in at the same time? It just seems like alot more work and money when you cna just spend $3 on wire and $4 on connectors and be done with the whole thing in about an hour.. But, I also like to save money for better and more diffcult things! Just give me a clarification on what your talking about!

Actually I was just saying he has two options

......splice it or if he can, get the El dashboard harness. Also, have you ever noticed that when you dim the guage cluster, the clock brightness does not change...well that was one of the upgrades the 94-96 prelude Si and vtec has.

Here is the topic I am talking about Dimmer Circuit

jtcdudeman · 05-14-2003, 12:09 AM

I get it now... Thanks.. Ya, I guess you should spend the money on th wiring harness and a dimmer controlif you cant wire anythign up and/or you want the clock to dim too.. I think it wouldnt be worth it for the money... JMO... Do what you want or like!

munscher · 05-14-2003, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by genlude

This is the piece is am talking about

Thanks to Andy for the pic.

You can do it jtcdudeman's way which involves splicing or you can do it my way - if you have the dashboard wiring harness-, then there is no splicing involved just plug and play, but just make sure you get the brightness control circuit - lack of a better term, that black thingy in the pic-.

Why....do you need it.....slight modifications was done to the 94 -96 prelude EL clusters which allowed the brightness of the clock and the rest of the gauge cluster to be dimmed with the knob beside the sunroof/cruise switch. Sorry to say the 92-93 and 94 S prelude did not have this option.

Does replacing the wiring harness and the black box pictured make only the clock light up along with the fuel/temp gauges? or does the speedo/tach also dim along with it as well? And where is that black box located in the dash? same place as the dimmer on 92-93 behind the clock? I believe mine is white though being a 93.

genlude · 05-14-2003, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by munscher

Does replacing the wiring harness and the black box pictured make only the clock light up along with the fuel/temp gauges? or does the speedo/tach also dim along with it as well? And where is that black box located in the dash? same place as the dimmer on 92-93 behind the clock? I believe mine is white though being a 93.

the black box dims the speedo/tach, fuel/temp and the clock. It should be black for all 92-96 prelude but it is different I think in size or shape for the 94-96 Si/Vtec...that is when I compared both.

munscher · 05-14-2003, 06:58 AM

do you know where exactly this box is located in the dash?